A Carnivore's Veganuary Attempt

If you're a regular reader of my blog, I'm sure you'll know by now that I'm a pretty committed carnivore. I always like to eat ethically, and try to source my meat as locally as I can. However, I've still found myself buying New Zealand lamb and multi-packs of chicken breasts from the supermarket out of convenience, even if I disagree with it.

So,  with January being the month of ridiculous diets and abstinence from all things fun, I thought I'd use this excuse to try out being a vegan for a month. I ate as much as possible of the leftover Christmas cheese and meats, and settled in for the carbfest.

I wasn't too worried by the dairy-free aspect of things, as I'm not a huge milk drinker and hate creamy things. I love all vegetables except broad beans so I'm no salad dodger either. The first few days were the toughest, not because I missed anything, but because I stood in front of the fridge thinking "what on earth am I going to eat".

Breakfasts didn't change too much. A simple swap of almond milk from normal milk meant that my usual weekday breakfasts of porridge or protein smoothies weren't affected.

Weekend breakfasts actually got better. I'll never go back to a greasy fry up after making these on a rainy Sunday morning...

So many avocados and I've rekindled my love of mushrooms. Vegan tip: Linda McCartney sausages are a game changer. I searched high and low for a vegan friendly sausage for breakfast and these were the only ones I could find and they're actually really good.

Lunches were pretty boring and this is what I found hardest. I always take lunch to work, and I'm used to taking a salad with some protein on the top. I piled my salads high with houmous and falafels most days, but found the options limited.

The best days were when I cooked extra from my dinner the night before, such as veggie burgers or soup, that I could take with me.

I stumbled across Jamie Oliver's recipe for vegan burgers here, and batch cooked them one evening. Packed full of protein, they're really light and fresh, and I'll be making these in the summer. The best thing about them is that they're tasty in their own right, without trying to be a poor substitute of a beef burger. Great with sweet potato fries too.

It got a lot easier as the month went on. I quickly got used to cups of tea with almond milk, and I found that I really just didn't need the meat on my plate. Jacket potatoes piled high with veggie chilli, curries packed full of vegetables, and I didn't even miss it from my cooked dinners. Even Bisto's beef gravy is vegan (though most nan's would argue that it's not even gravy...)

I didn't eat out much in January due to it being a busy period in work, and also the post Christmas crunch on the pockets. However, I still managed to get some vegan friendly takeaways in, and some home made. Tarkha Dhal is one of my favourite Indian meals anyway (The Lahore do an amazing one) so I didn't miss out with this either. Plus a side of kale, because by now I was feeling pretty smug and virtuous.

I'm so glad that I did Veganuary, and it's really helped force me into the eating habits that I wanted to instil in myself, but laziness and convenience was standing in my way.

Everything got so much easier by the end of the month, possibly helped by the changes I noticed in myself and my body. I didn't lose any weight on the scales, which wasn't the aim anyway, but I felt a lot lighter and much less bloated. The fact that I found out that Oreos were vegan friendly probably didn't help my case here.

My skin cleared up almost instantly. I didn't get a single spot throughout the month, and my energy levels were through the roof. I don't know if this was because of the lack of animal products, the increase in vegetables or both, but the 3 o'clock slump didn't exist. I slept better and was a lot more alert in the mornings.

So where am I now, in March? It took me a while to eat some meat, and I have eaten meat since. However, I wasn't craving it like I did a glass of wine post sober October. I'm still only drinking almond milk, and I've only had the smallest bit of cheese that's not vegan. I don't suppose there's a label for it, but now I'm trying to only eat meat and animal products as little as possible and where I can be sure they're locally and ethically sourced.

I've found that I just don't need those products on my plate all of the time, every day. I used to base my meals around a tasteless chicken breast or a cheap steak, and this has given me the confidence to start cooking again properly, and using different flavours and ingredients.

I'm trying not to come across preachy, as I'm aware that some people close up their ears at the word 'vegan'. Hopefully this will help those who are just a little curious, or want to cut down even a little bit. I searched for blogs as I felt pretty helpless when I first started veganuary, completely unprepared.

Feel free to tweet me or comment below if you want to steal any recipe ideas! I'll try and pop some up on the blog from time to time.

The New Lahore, Newport

Today, I'm going to let you in on a little family secret. There are all sorts of fantastic new openings in Newport at the moment, including a hefty dose of your average chain restaurants, but in my humble opinion the best has been in town since 1961.

The New Lahore is situated on Lower Dock Street, which is only a five minute walk around the corner from the new Friars Walk development. Conveniently for us, in perfect position from Rodney Parade, where we spent our traditional Christmas derby day watching the Newport Gwent Dragons get robbed by the Blues.

In need of cheering up, five of us headed on over after the match. Pre-booking is recommended as the restaurant only seats forty. Perfectly sized for good service, which is a guarantee at the LH (as it's known in our house).

The traditional recipes are kept secret, and have been handed down through the generations of chefs since Mr Islam opened up over fifty years ago. These curry sauces are known as the 'Old Style' on the menu, and are a thicker, spicier gravy style sauce.

It's not to everyone's taste, but the waiters are so knowledgeable and proud of their curry, that they will help you choose the right one. If you're not sure if it's the one for you, they will very often bring an old style sauce for you to try along with your meal.

I've had the old style before, which I absolutely adore, but something different caught my eye and I went for the Pudina Lamb. This consisted of long strips of tender lamb, in a mint, ginger and red chilli sauce. I'd definitely put it up there above a madras on the heat scale, and it was wonderful. Really thick, chunky gravy, and the mint gives it an unexpected coolness which cuts through the heat.

Between the five of us, we covered an extensive range of the menu. From the mild King Prawn Summerkand to the chef's special, to the winner of the night, the Jhal Monipuri Chicken. Mr P went for this on the recommendation of a regular, and was not disappointed. Chicken and herbs with green chillis cooked to the owner's own recipe. I had a fair few mouthfuls too, and I was a little jealous. Such depth of flavour, spicy, thick and with an almost BBQ style sweetness coming from the onions.

There was a perfectly crispy array of naans, including garlic, keema and peshwari. Sides also came in the form of a saag aloo, saag paneer and a tarkaa daal, which I definitely stole most of. I had no idea that lentils could taste so good, almost like a garlic mashed potato.

The service really is second to none at the LH. The staff are always on hand but not interfering, and they will offer advice if you're stuck on choices. They're polite and knowledgeable, and incredibly friendly. 

I haven't put the prices on each item here, but here's a link to their website menu. This is because they knocked a few bits and bobs off our bill, and I still cannot get over the value. The bill came to about £25 per person (with tip), and the amount of food we had was staggering.

Numerous glasses of wine and a couple of Cobras, a curry and rice each, plus three naans and three sides. Not to mention the poppadom tray that we demolished while perusing the menu. Plus a chocolate and a complimentary drink (whiskies and brandies all round) on departure. These guys look after you from the moment you walk in.

It's all I can do to hold myself popping back down tonight, so when you've had enough of the turkey sandwiches, wander outside your comfort zone and pop down to the Lahore. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Locke & Remedy, Cardiff

If you're looking for somewhere to fill your boots and recuperate after a mad last minute Christmas shop, then look no further than Locke & Remedy. Having taken over the old Cardiff Library, it is currently surrounded by the cute Christmas huts that adorn Cardiff each year.

The lovely folks at Locke & Remedy invited me and a few other blogger friends to spend an evening with them to check out their new Christmas menu. A night of festive food is not something to be missed, so I headed on down and grabbed a cocktail.

This Christmassy concoction was a beauty, a spicy take on a traditional favourite, a cinammon old fashioned (£7.95) Garnished with dried orange and served in the most amazing (and surprisingly heavy) glass tumblers, this is just what I needed to get me in the Christmas spirit. I'd imagine it'll be just what you need too, after an afternoon fighting the crowds.

The food started to arrive thick and fast, and we all clambered to grab a slice or two (or three...) of the newest winter addition, the festive pizza.

A crisp thin crust, topped with plenty of cheese, maple bacon, chestnuts, cranberry sauce, pork & sage stuffing and some parmesan crisps. Phew. If I'm completely honest, I wasn't exactly sure how well a festive pizza would work. But oh man, it does.

It's a hefty pizza, piled high and filled to the edges. The sweetness is counteracted perfectly with the chunky stuffing balls and salty bacon, and I had to hold myself back from eating until I burst. At £10.95, I think this is great value, considering it's enough for two and practically an entire Christmas dinner on a pizza.

It's a good job I had a little restraint with the pizza, as no sooner were they polished off the burgers came flying out of the kitchen.

The festive burger is probably my favourite Christmas themed food item I've ever eaten. Sometimes the "Christmas sandwiches" get a little samey this time of year, and by January 1st I never want to see a cranberry again. However, I don't think I'd ever get bored of this one...

A spiced buttermilk fried turkey breast and a bacon-wrapped pork and sage stuffing patty on a bed of lettuce and cranberry mayo (£9.95) It just about passed my burger test of fitting in your mouth in one go, with a bit of squishing.

It really is a thing of beauty, and I can't wait to go back and get another one. The crunchy coating surrounding the turkey breast is by far the best thing about the burger. The spices are just enough to give it that hint of ginger, cinnamon and all things Christmas without being overpowering. Colonel Sanders has got nothing on this batter.

After all that food, I needed something to cut through it all, and the fab mixologists behind the bar have come up with the perfect mocktail. This passion fruit cooler is not only one of the prettiest drinks around, but also the right amount of sharpness after all those carbs (£3.95)! Great for after dinner, but also for on those nights where you want to join in with the fun, without the headache the next day!

L&R's cocktail menu takes some beating. I've made my way through a few by now, and I've not come across a bad one yet. So far, my favourite is a Sailor Hydration (£7.95), which is basically a Caribbean holiday in a glass.

What I love most about Locke & Remedy is their short and succinct menu. It consists of a handful of burgers, pizzas and fries, and it does them all extremely well. There are so many places with an extensive menu but an average taste, so L&R really shines. There's also great deals on throughout the week, and they're currently running a deal of a pizza and a bottle of wine for £15. Perfect date night!

And they do the best sweet potato fries in ALL THE LAND. Period. How are they so crunchy?

DISCLAIMER: I was invited to Locke & Remedy as a guest, and all food and drink was complimentary. However, all opinions are my own and unbiased.

Burger & Lobster, Cardiff

Well I'm back! Finally feeling a little more myself after the January tax return onslaught, which is always a smack in the face after the Christmas break! And I've got one more pre-Christmas foodie trip that while I was away I realised that I hadn't shared with you yet.

I'd been pretty excited since I'd heard that the remaining upstairs space of the old Habitat on the Hayes in Cardiff City Centre was to become the home of Burger and Lobster. One of my favourite pastimes is drooling over other food blogs, so I'd heard a lot about the London restaurant, and the whole idea appealed to me so much.

I am a pretty indecisive person, and unfortunately so is Mr P. This generally means a lot of menu staring at restaurants and impatient waiting staff. Here that problem is solved, there's not even a menu. Your waiter will grab your drinks and fill you in.

There's a whole lobster, there's a burger, and there's a lobster roll. And they're all £20.

The only other variation is that you can choose whether your lobster come grilled or steamed. All items come with chips, a side salad and a butter sauce.

Mr P and I both went for the lobster, steamed as recommended by our very helpful waiter.

It arrived extremely quickly, so much so that I was both impressed and a little dubious. There was no need for the hesitation, as it was fantastic! The lobster came halved, and was both meaty and light at the same time. The butter sauce was beautiful and they both went together really well. I imagine that it'd be even better with the lobster grilled, being that bit hotter. Saying that, the chips dunked in it after the lobster had all gone were pretty good too!

The hardest bits were already pre-cracked, so it wasn't to difficult to dig around and get the best bits in the claw. It's so easy, and the staff are so helpful and unpretentious that you don't have to worry about making a fool of yourself. That's what the bibs are for anyway...

Genius idea, as no matter where I am or what I'm eating, some of it invariably ends up on my person somewhere. I thought of of grabbing a couple to just take with me anywhere.

Now, here's the thing. £20 for a whole lobster, is brilliant. Especially as it was so delicious. BUT I don't think I could ever spend £20 on a burger or a lobster roll. It'd have to be something pretty special to even make me ponder it. I suppose it keeps the menu simple, and helps their profits, but it's a little too expensive for me.

Burger and Lobster is achingly cool.  There's a very glamourous bar area in the middle to wait for your tables with a cocktail or two, and a DJ playing live music as you walk in. However, eating in the evening while it was dark outside was pretty interesting. The lighting is sparse in the eating areas, and we seemed to be sat on a table for two in the middle of the room with a spotlight right above us. I felt like I was eating in that certain clothes shop where you queue outside for five hours...

Am I getting old? Maybe. But I wasn't a fan. I'd probably change my mind completely if we were in one of the cwtchy booths at the side, but I felt quite exposed where we were. The lighting also made for awful photos, which were on the sketchy side anyway as I was using the iPhone!

Would I go back? Definitely. I love lobster and think it's great that there's such an accessible place to eat it at such a fantastic price. Not sure if I'll ever fork out for that burger though. Let me know if you do, and if it's worth it!

Wahaca, Cardiff

That weird space between Christmas and New Year always gets me a bit stir crazy. The idea of all the time off sounds great, but in reality after a day or two of pyjamas I need a reason to get out of the house and eat something other than chocolate and turkey.

The whole ethos of Wahaca really appeals to me. Tapas/street food style eating is my favourite, usually as I'm so indecisive and always want to try a little bit of everything. I also love the fact that the menu is Mexican inspired, which they use to full advantage by creating seasonal dishes and local ingredients wherever possible. The Cardiff restaurant is the first outside London, which is a pretty big coup for the city, and shows how much the food scene has grown over the last few years.

Cardiff was pretty busy with bargain hunters, so we grabbed a buzzer and nursed a beer or two upstairs for about a half hour wait. The bar seems a pretty cool place to hang out on it's own for a few margaritas, with swinging birdcage chairs and 'fussball' tables, but it's not that big and fills up pretty quickly when there's a rush on.

Wahaca in general, however, feels huge. Spread over three floors, with big open spaces and bright colours, it's got a similar feel to Jamie's Italian around the corner. We were positioned next to the big windows, perfect for people watching but a little chilly. Everything is big, bold and bright, and the perfect antidote when suffering from too much tinsel.

First things first, don't even think of going to Wahaca if you're not going to order the pork scratchings (£4.45 for a huge portion). They are without doubt the best thing I tasted on the menu (and spoiler alert, it's all pretty good). They were the perfect balance between the two styles you get down the pub, the airy ones that taste like polystyrene, and the hairy knuckle-y ones that are always a little bit suspect.

Served with a zingy and vibrant guacamole, I could have eaten just this all day. However, that wouldn't have made for a very good blog so...

Sides and nibbles apart, the main menu is split between street food and platos fuertes (bigger plates). The platos fuertes are enough for a main meal on their own, or possibly even big enough to share. The street food menu is a number of smaller plates, in the style of Spanish tapas to be shared about, roughly 2-3 plates recommended per person.

All the food comes as and when it's cooked, to keep it fresh, so not always in the order that you expected. I liked this idea, however it'd probably work best if everyone is sharing the street food dishes, so that no-one is waiting too long.

The pork pibil burritos (£9.25) were pretty huge, filled with rice and tortilla chips on the side. I have it on good authority that they were "awesome".

I did have a bite of the frijoles (£2.50), and I still can't make my mind up about them. Creamy twice cooked beans, served in a little pot with a bit of cheese on top. They're the kind of thing you need to try, and take about four bites before you decide whether you love or hate. I still don't know.

I only ordered two street food plates, but with the pork scratchings to start this was more than enough for me.

The pork pibil tacos (£4.10) were so cute. That might not be what they were aiming for, but cute they were. See?

Filled with slow cooked pork, they were packed full of flavour and really filling. I thought they would be a little spicier than they were, however. I don't even mind, as they're so pretty.

The other dish I ordered was the chorizo and potato quesadillas (£4.20). A little less filling in these than I'd like, but they were still lovely, and the creamy potato inside gave these a really good texture against the crunchy tortilla outside.

I may have been misleading when I said I only fancied two street food plates. I'd already spotted churros (£3.95) on the menu. I decided to split them with Mr P, who chose the toffee sauce instead of the chocolate one. Next time, I'm kicking him off my dessert and going for the chocolate, as the toffee was a bit too sweet for me.

But...those crunchy gooey doughnut sticks were heaven enough on their own. Sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar when still warm they are a complete must. I can't implore you enough to leave just a little bit of room in your stomach for these bad boys at the end of your meal.

If that's not your thing, the chocolate tres leches cake (chocolate cake soaked in three milks) looked pretty good, although the peanut butter ice cream on top got my attention (£4.95).

I completely fell in love with Wahaca. All the food was wonderful, and it made such a difference to have something like this in Cardiff. What's more, it's so fantastically and competitively priced. With street food ranging about the £4 mark for each plate, and the platos fuertes about £7 - £10, you can fill a family up for a reasonable price. Hopefully at these prices will entice people away from the many average chains around the city centre, and see that great fresh food doesn't need to be expensive.

I'm definitely looking forward to going back and getting through everything on the menu, with added tequila! Let me know what your recommendations are!

November Recap

It feels like just yesterday that I was taking down the Halloween decorations, and now the Christmas tree has just gone up!

Plenty of baking occurred in November in the form of birthday cupcakes for my brother-in-law's 30th birthday party. Ferrero Rocher cupcakes with a dark chocolate ganache, and Guinness gingerbread cupcakes with a Baileys mascarpone topping. Pretty grown up cupcakes for me, although I haven't retired the edible glitter just yet.

Lots of walks in the morning sunshine to burn off the calories were then obviously needed. I spent a lovely weekend with my mum and brother down the caravan in Fontygary. Unfortunately the clouds weren't playing ball with my camera, but the sea air was all that I needed anyway.

Cold nights and blustery days mean only one thing. Comfort food! The first thing I run to when the nights draw in is a good old carb-tastic cheese and potato pie.

Washed down with my new favourite find, Tesco's Finest Salted Caramel Irish liqueur!

Like any good Welsh girl, I also managed to make it to two of Wales's Autumn International rugby games! Very excited that I got to see Wales v New Zealand, and witness the Haka, even if the result didn't quite go our way. Lunch at the Jazz Club, Cardiff was fantastic beforehand too. Brilliant pre-match atmosphere and a good selection of beers on tap, what more do you need on a match day?

Poached egg starter, on a chunky slice of black pudding, tomato and a drizzle of hollandaise was beautiful. I could have eaten this forever, and in fact I was enjoying my food so much I completely forgot to take any more food photos. Bad blogger.

Mr P and I also got tickets to the final game of the series, South Africa. Which we won, 12-6! We had an awesome day full of beer, bratwursts and Boks! Especially South African Santa!

After all that excitement I'm looking forward to chilling out over the Christmas period. In between the shopping, wrapping, partying, decorating...